But she couldn’t settle and, taking a polishing cloth, she started to wipe down the shelves.
She had finished cleaning the shelves, mopped the floor and polished her bucket before she heard footsteps in the lobby. Opening the door, she peered out. ‘Ryan,’ she said as her son approached, ‘I’m in here.’
Ryan hugged her. She relaxed, winding her arms round his wiry body. He had never been big and as a child had been bullied because he was smaller than the others, but that had never mattered to her. ‘Good things come in small parcels,’ she had always said.
‘Mum.’ His voice sounded anxious.
‘Yes?’
‘We had a visit from that policeman today. You know, the one who came when Jade disappeared.’
Diane froze. Time stopped. She struggled to breathe. ‘They’ve found her! Thank God! I knew they would . . . ’
‘No Mum, they haven’t found her. But the cop said they’re looking into it again.’
Diane’s heart missed a beat and she struggled to overcome her disappointment. ‘But don’t you see,’ she said, ‘that must mean they have new information and they’ll find her.’
Ryan’s eyes were troubled.
‘They will find her. I know they’ll find her.’ Diane wrapped her arms more tightly round her son’s waist. ‘They will find her,’ she repeated.
Chapter Nine
Kate held her ID up to the constable, lifted the blue tape and ducked under it. Grasping her hands behind her back, she surveyed the top storey of the car park.
The place was large, gloomy, and smelled of fumes. She could hear rustling noises and footsteps and even the sound of her own breathing. It was the kind of place where even the smallest sound would bounce off the bare walls. She looked up to the ceiling to check out the CCTV cameras, and made a mental note to acquire the tapes.
Most of the cars were gone, although the ones nearest to the shadowy corner, where the dirty white van was parked, were still there. The van’s rear doors were open and a white-clad scene of the crime officer was busy working on them.
Outside the tape, in the opposite corner, two boys were guarded by a WPC. One of them was crying.
She hesitated before going any further and, turning back to the policeman, said, ‘What’s the story?’
The constable pointed to the two boys. ‘Those two kids found the body, ma’am. They’d been going through the car park looking for unlocked cars and they opened the back doors of the van.’ The policeman grinned, although his eyes remained cold. ‘The brats got more than they bargained for though, and they were about to scarper. But they didn’t know they’d been spotted on CCTV and they ran right into me.’
‘I see. Who else is here?’
‘The SOCOs are here, ma’am, one of them is inside the van with the doc, and the other is dusting for fingerprints. They reckon there’s been too much coming and going in the car park to find any trace evidence outside the area where the van is parked, but they still wanted this level sealed off. Constables Hastie and Douglas are standing guard down below and Adams is over at the lift. It’s causing havoc with the folks who’ve parked here. Some of them are pretty annoyed. Then there’s myself and Constable Burns. She’s the one looking after the kids until someone from the Child and Family Support Unit turns up.’
‘And you are?’
‘PC Corbett, ma’am.’
‘Well, Corbett, I was expecting Detective Sergeant Murphy to join me. I don’t suppose he’s arrived yet?’
‘No, ma’am.’
Kate compressed her lips and walked to the rear of the van where the SOCO was dabbing powder on the doors with a brush that reminded Kate of the one she used to apply make-up. He stopped and looked at her. Kate held up her ID and he nodded before turning back to the task in hand.
‘Any prints coming up?’
‘Lots,’ he said. ‘Whether they’ll be any use though is another matter.’
A man reversed out of the van. Kate stepped back but was not quick
She had finished cleaning the shelves, mopped the floor and polished her bucket before she heard footsteps in the lobby. Opening the door, she peered out. ‘Ryan,’ she said as her son approached, ‘I’m in here.’
Ryan hugged her. She relaxed, winding her arms round his wiry body. He had never been big and as a child had been bullied because he was smaller than the others, but that had never mattered to her. ‘Good things come in small parcels,’ she had always said.
‘Mum.’ His voice sounded anxious.
‘Yes?’
‘We had a visit from that policeman today. You know, the one who came when Jade disappeared.’
Diane froze. Time stopped. She struggled to breathe. ‘They’ve found her! Thank God! I knew they would . . . ’
‘No Mum, they haven’t found her. But the cop said they’re looking into it again.’
Diane’s heart missed a beat and she struggled to overcome her disappointment. ‘But don’t you see,’ she said, ‘that must mean they have new information and they’ll find her.’
Ryan’s eyes were troubled.
‘They will find her. I know they’ll find her.’ Diane wrapped her arms more tightly round her son’s waist. ‘They will find her,’ she repeated.
Chapter Nine
Kate held her ID up to the constable, lifted the blue tape and ducked under it. Grasping her hands behind her back, she surveyed the top storey of the car park.
The place was large, gloomy, and smelled of fumes. She could hear rustling noises and footsteps and even the sound of her own breathing. It was the kind of place where even the smallest sound would bounce off the bare walls. She looked up to the ceiling to check out the CCTV cameras, and made a mental note to acquire the tapes.
Most of the cars were gone, although the ones nearest to the shadowy corner, where the dirty white van was parked, were still there. The van’s rear doors were open and a white-clad scene of the crime officer was busy working on them.
Outside the tape, in the opposite corner, two boys were guarded by a WPC. One of them was crying.
She hesitated before going any further and, turning back to the policeman, said, ‘What’s the story?’
The constable pointed to the two boys. ‘Those two kids found the body, ma’am. They’d been going through the car park looking for unlocked cars and they opened the back doors of the van.’ The policeman grinned, although his eyes remained cold. ‘The brats got more than they bargained for though, and they were about to scarper. But they didn’t know they’d been spotted on CCTV and they ran right into me.’
‘I see. Who else is here?’
‘The SOCOs are here, ma’am, one of them is inside the van with the doc, and the other is dusting for fingerprints. They reckon there’s been too much coming and going in the car park to find any trace evidence outside the area where the van is parked, but they still wanted this level sealed off. Constables Hastie and Douglas are standing guard down below and Adams is over at the lift. It’s causing havoc with the folks who’ve parked here. Some of them are pretty annoyed. Then there’s myself and Constable Burns. She’s the one looking after the kids until someone from the Child and Family Support Unit turns up.’
‘And you are?’
‘PC Corbett, ma’am.’
‘Well, Corbett, I was expecting Detective Sergeant Murphy to join me. I don’t suppose he’s arrived yet?’
‘No, ma’am.’
Kate compressed her lips and walked to the rear of the van where the SOCO was dabbing powder on the doors with a brush that reminded Kate of the one she used to apply make-up. He stopped and looked at her. Kate held up her ID and he nodded before turning back to the task in hand.
‘Any prints coming up?’
‘Lots,’ he said. ‘Whether they’ll be any use though is another matter.’
A man reversed out of the van. Kate stepped back but was not quick
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